{"id":6156,"date":"2018-02-27T11:30:12","date_gmt":"2018-02-27T17:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/?p=6156"},"modified":"2018-02-27T11:30:12","modified_gmt":"2018-02-27T17:30:12","slug":"nothing-blood-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2018\/02\/27\/nothing-blood-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"Nothing but the Blood of Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Steven Akin<\/strong>
\nHave you ever had the opportunity to give blood? While it is an uncomfortable experience due to the large needle, it is also extremely rewarding. Knowing that 4.5 million Americans will need a blood transfusion every year and that a single pint of blood has the potential to save three lives makes the needle seem a little less painful.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nThere is no substitute for blood. Think about that for just a moment. In all of the technological advances that we have made throughout the history of the world, there is still nothing in existence that can take the place of the red fluid flowing through your veins\u00a0even as you read this sentence.\u00a0<\/span>
\nMade up of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma, your blood fills numerous roles.\u00a0Your red blood cells, with the help of hemoglobin, transport the oxygen your cells need.\u00a0The structures known as platelets bind together to form clots or scabs when you cut yourself. Plasma is the liquid portion of your blood that assists platelets with clotting. Finally, your white blood cells help your body fight disease, kill bacteria, eradicate old\u00a0or damaged cells, and kill invalid organisms.\u00a0God said it best in Leviticus 17:11 when He said,\u00a0\u201cThe life of the flesh is in the blood.\u201d Truly, there is no substitute for blood, nor will there ever be.\u00a0<\/span>
\nNow, let us turn our minds on to spiritual matters and realize that the\u00a0exact\u00a0same statement rings true: When it comes to my salvation, there is no substitute for blood, nor will there ever be.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nBlood in the Old Testament<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>
\nEver since the dawn of creation, blood has been required in order for God to forgive man of his sins. In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve\u00a0sinned, we are reminded that God made coats for them (vs. 21) in order to clothe them and cover their nakedness. It is in this author\u2019s humble opinion that God did not simply produce these coats from nothing, but that an unknown number of animals had to die in order to construct them. If this is the case, then the first example of the blood\/death of one creature cleansing the fault of another is seen in the\u00a0third\u00a0chapter of the Holy\u00a0Writ. At the very least, we know that less than a chapter later, Abel \u201cbrought of the firstborn\u00a0of his flock and of their\u00a0fat. And\u00a0the Lord\u00a0respected\u00a0Abel and his offering\u201d (Genesis 4:4).\u00a0<\/span>
\nNow, go forward\u00a0in your mind\u2019s eye to the land\u00a0of Egypt during\u00a0the time of Moses. As a Jew, you\u2019ve seen the effects of nine different plagues that\u00a0have swept through the land of\u00a0your enemies, yet you and\u00a0your family were never impacted by the chaos. Now, you\u2019ve heard rumors that another plague is coming and that Moses has called for the elders. Eventually, you are told that God has commanded His people to \u201cPick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover\u00a0lamb.<\/i>\u00a0And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip\u00a0it<\/i>\u00a0in the blood that\u00a0is<\/i>\u00a0in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that\u00a0is<\/i>\u00a0in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.\u201d\u00a0(Exodus\u00a012:21-22).\u00a0You\u2019re more than willing to put something on your doorposts if it means protecting your family, but\u00a0blood<\/b>? Why couldn\u2019t you just use water? You could even crush some grapes and use wine instead!\u00a0<\/span>
\nBut, if I know anything about God, it\u2019s that God means what He says and says what He means. If any of the Jews were to have put some other liquid on their doorpost, the firstborn in their family would not have been spared. There was no substitute for blood. It was the only agent that could save their family.\u00a0<\/span>
\nSomething else of note is that God not only required a sacrifice, but He demanded a\u00a0quality<\/b>\u00a0sacrifice.\u00a0The lamb used was to be a male, a year old, and without blemish (Exodus 12:5). Even today, God will not accept a sacrifice that is anything less than perfect.\u00a0<\/span>
\nAs we continue on through the history of the Jewish nation, blood continued to play a significant role in their everyday lives. In fact, if anyone sinned or even touched something unclean, there had to be a sacrifice (Leviticus 4:35).\u00a0Leviticus 5:9-10 says something very similar:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nAnd he\u00a0[the priest–\u00a0SA]\u00a0shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin\u00a0offering on the side of the altar,\u00a0and the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar.\u00a0It is a sin\u00a0offering. And he shall offer the second\u00a0as\u00a0a burnt\u00a0offering, according to the\u00a0prescribed manner.\u00a0So\u00a0the priest shall make atonement\u00a0on his behalf\u00a0for his\u00a0sin which\u00a0he has committed,\u00a0and\u00a0it\u00a0shall be<\/b>\u00a0forgiven<\/b>\u00a0him<\/b>\u00a0(emp. added).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nBlood in the New Testament<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhile the eras that we live in are vastly different, the principles remain the same.\u00a0<\/span>
\nFirst of all, blood is still required for the remission of sins. Hebrews 9:22 very plainly\u00a0states, \u201cAnd according to the law,\u00a0almost\u00a0all things are\u00a0purified\u00a0with blood, and\u00a0without\u00a0shedding of blood there is no remission.\u201d\u00a0Another passage that simplifies this for us is Romans 5:9. \u201cHaving\u00a0now\u00a0been\u00a0justified\u00a0by His blood<\/b>\u00a0(emp. added), we\u00a0shall\u00a0be saved from wrath through Him.\u201d We know that it is through His blood that we have the forgiveness of our trespasses (Ephesians 1:7)\u00a0and through it He has loosed us from our sins (Revelation 1:5).\u00a0<\/span>
\nSecondly, we must have a sacrifice. One of my favorite statements in\u00a0all the\u00a0Bible is made by John the Baptist in John 1:29. As soon as he sees Jesus coming to Him, he proclaims, \u201cBehold!\u00a0The Lamb of God\u00a0who\u00a0takes away the sin of the world!\u201d Another passage worth mentioning is 1 Corinthians 5:7 where it says, \u201cFor indeed Christ, our\u00a0Passover<\/b>,<\/b>\u00a0<\/b>was\u00a0sacrificed\u00a0for us\u201d (emp. added). Jesus was, and is, our Passover Lamb! Other passages such as Isaiah 53 prophesy that Christ would be \u201cHe was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and\u00a0as a\u00a0sheep before its shearers is silent,\u00a0so\u00a0He opened not His mouth.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>
\nThirdly, that sacrifice must be spotless.\u00a0Another of my favorite passages is 1 Peter 1:19. In verse 18, we are told that we weren\u2019t\u00a0redeemed with silver, gold, or\u00a0anything corruptible, but,\u00a0according to verse 19, \u201cwith\u00a0the\u00a0precious blood\u00a0of Christ, as of a lamb\u00a0without blemish and\u00a0without spot.\u201d Just as that Passover lamb had to be without blemish, Christ also could have no stains upon Him.\u00a0Now, think\u00a0with me\u00a0of something that you may\u00a0not have\u00a0ever considered before. In Matthew 4, Christ has just started His earthly ministry, the Spirit has just come upon Him, and He is being led (by the Spirit) into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. We know that, at a minimum, Christ was tempted three times by Satan\u00a0in this context. So there were the three temptations\u00a0in Matthew 4\u00a0plus whatever else the devil threw at Him during His time on earth. It was during these situations that our eternal status was on the line. All Christ had to do was sin\u00a0once<\/b>, and He would no longer be the unblemished Lamb.\u00a0He couldn\u2019t have died for our sins, bought His church, sent the Comforter, or\u00a0judge us on that final day. We would be condemned\u00a0and without hope. Yet, through all of the heartache that He experienced, He prevailed. Indeed, He had overcome the world (John 16:33).\u00a0Because all men have sinned (Romans 3:23) and the penalty for all sin is death (Romans 6:23), every man needs a Savior. Our Lord and Master stepped forward and offered\u00a0Himself\u00a0to be that spotless sacrifice, the only One that could take away our sin\u00a0(see also Hebrews 9:14).\u00a0<\/span>
\nAs we\u2019ve said before, I\u2019ll say again: There is no substitute for blood.\u00a0If Christ had not stepped forward, we would truly be \u201cof all men\u00a0the\u00a0most\u00a0pitiable.\u201d However,\u00a0He\u00a0did<\/b>\u00a0step forward and live that perfect life. And, because of that priceless blood that was shed for a wretch such as I, how could I be anything but thankful?\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhat can wash away my sin?\u00a0<\/span>
\nNothing but the blood of Jesus.\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhat can make me whole again?\u00a0<\/span>
\nNothing but the blood of Jesus.\u00a0<\/span>
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Steven Akin Have you ever had the opportunity to give blood? While it is an uncomfortable experience due to the large needle, it is also extremely rewarding. Knowing that 4.5 million Americans will need a blood transfusion every year and that a single pint of blood has the potential to save three lives makes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[59,66],"tags":[1051,1396,1390,226,1397],"class_list":["post-6156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-living","category-think-excerpts","tag-feature","tag-jesus-blood","tag-july-2013","tag-sacrifice","tag-steven-akin","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nNothing but the Blood of Jesus - Focus Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2018\/02\/27\/nothing-blood-jesus\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nothing but the Blood of Jesus - Focus Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Steven Akin Have you ever had the opportunity to give blood? While it is an uncomfortable experience due to the large needle, it is also extremely rewarding. 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